Missing Lucy: REWARD
by seismicmuffin
Summary: What if Jude Heartfilia contracted Fairy Tail to find his missing daughter? What will our favorite dragon slayer do when he finds out the truth? Will he take Lucy back to the Konzern or will he help set her free?


_I'll be writing this when I'm stuck on working through my other multi-chap fic. It was just something that popped into my head._

~o~

It was an unusually quiet morning in the main hall of the magic guild named Fairy Tail. Most of the regulars were still nursing hangovers from the previous night and normally by this time a brawl would have broken out, and at the center would have been a certain pink-haired fire mage. Said mage was currently staring thoughtfully at the job request board, craving some excitement when his best friend landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, Natsu, pick a mission yet?" Happy was wearing his favorite green backpack, chomping merrily on a trout and ready to start a new adventure

"Nah, these all look boring." The young man at the board sighed in exasperation as he tilted his head back and glared at the second floor balcony.

"Don't even think about it Natsu!" A soft and feminine voice filtered across the hall. The boy paled as he looked towards the speaker, a young woman with long white hair. Her face gave the impression of the purest innocence, but the fire mage knew better. Underneath that cheery exterior lay a demon of epic proportions. She had spotted the impulsive mage eyeing the S-Class section and saw that her interference might be needed before he did something rash. Everyone knew that stepping foot onto the second floor was one of Natsu's greatest ambitions; after finding his father and becoming the strongest mage in the guild of course.

Mira knew that all the 'best' missions –according to Natsu- ones that involved monster-slaying and dangerous artifacts had been snatched up the day before. If he didn't take a mission today it was likely he'd start another fire in the guild hall –or worse, demolish city property due to sheer boredom. Out of respect for poor Master Makarov's nerves she'd promised to keep Natsu busy for a few days. The old man still hadn't recovered from the last bill he received from the Magic Council less than a week ago.

"Here, take a look at this. It just came in today." Mira produced a paper from a shelf underneath the bar and handed it to Natsu. The request had arrived too late to add the board yesterday and she had just been about to post it when she'd noticed Natsu's wandering gaze.

He looked over the job request and read aloud, "Missing…hairdresser? Possible kidnapping…reward…THREE MILLION JEWELS?!" The young man's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the large sum.

"Whoa, that's a lot of fish!" The blue cat had leapt into the air and flew circles around his companion's head, dreaming of the largest mound of fish to ever grace Earthland.

"You're right Happy. That seems an awful lot to find a missing person. They must be really good with hair."

"Tch, Natsu its _heiress_ , not hairdresser. They don't even sound the same." The blue cat was shaking his head at his partner, thankful that Lisanna and Levy taught him to read and not a dragon.

"Whatever. What's an heiress, anyway?"

"Kinda like a princess, right Mira?"

"You could say that. The client is one of the wealthiest men in Fiore and only has the one daughter, she must be well sought after." After gazing at the paper thoughtfully, Mira exclaimed, "Oooh I wonder if she's being held against her will by a spurned suitor? Or maybe used as blackmail against her family! How exciting!" the imaginative woman's eyes lit up at all the possibilities.

Natsu muttered something about 'boring' again before his thoughts were interrupted by his least favorite person.

"Did I hear something about a missing rich girl?" A dark-haired man leaned against the bar across from Mira and sent a lazy smirk to his rival.

"Butt-out Gray! No one's talkin' to you!"

Ignoring the other man's insult, he picked up the flier and skimmed through it, "Damn, no picture? Still, I bet she's pretty hot. Wonder if she'd reward me with a kiss?" He raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

"The hell you sayin'? You're not comin' with us!"

"Of course I'm not going anywhere with you, dumbass! I'll take the job by myself!"

"WHAT –this is mine and Happy's job!"

"It didn't look like it from where I was sitting!"

"Who would wanna be rescued by some half-naked pervert? I bet the client would slam the door in your ugly face!" Gray squeaked and flushed pink when he realized he had subconsciously stripped himself of shirt and trousers.

He hid his embarrassment with another insult aimed at the fire-mage, "Yeah well you'd probably blow up his house and the reward too!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

The two men were now head-to-head, glaring at each other and Happy swore he saw steam coming from their noses.

Suddenly, Natsu yanked the paper from Gray's hand and sped off towards the door.

"Hey! I wanted that!"

"Sucks to be you, asshole!"

"I'll let the client know you're on your way!" Mira happily waved after the pair while silently thanking Gray for giving Natsu the push he needed.

"Alright, let's go rescue a princess!"

"Aye sir!"

~o~

It took Happy a whole half-hour to convince Natsu to board the train. The client wasn't exactly close and time appeared to be of the essence. If Natsu had his stubborn way it would have taken more than a day's walk to reach their destination. Happy finally convinced him when he'd reminded his friend that he could always go back to the guild and give the job to Gray.

Four hours later, the two companions emerged on a train platform, one looking a little worse for wear. The fire mage was slumped over his pack on the side of platform, moaning and earning himself more than a few odd looks.

"Come on Natsu, the client's waiting! At least you can walk the rest of the way." This cheered up the young man a little and when his stomach settled he'd regained his usual vigor. It puttered out not long after though, when he'd realized they'd been walking in one direction for miles and hadn't seen a single person.

Finally, he had spotted someone, "Hey! You!"

The poor man was so startled he fell backwards over a pile of wood he'd been chopping. You couldn't really blame him though…Natsu was so excited to find someone that he'd spit a jet of flames from his mouth.

"I'm looking for the…er…" Natsu pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and read, "Heartfilia…Konzern. Know where I can find it?"

The man stared in astonishment, finally managing to speak, "Uh…you're there," he gestured to their surroundings, "this whole place is the property of Master Heartfilia, up to the base of those mountains," the man pointed to the peaks off into the distance.

Happy whistled while Natsu continued to question the man. Eventually, they learned that the main house was another half-mile away and that their client, Jude Heartfilia was expecting them.

They walked down a country lane and passed several buildings, wondering all the while how one person could come into possession of such a large plot of land, Natsu was positive the whole city of Magnolia could fit inside it.

Natsu's pace quickened when he saw a very large mansion looming in the distance. After passing through a well-manicured garden, an elderly man in a uniform ushered them into a grand hall and they followed his lead until they reached a tall double-door. The man knocked curtly and waited a moment before a loud, "Come in!" was heard.

The large study was flanked on each side with floor to ceiling bookcases. At the end of the long room, a middle aged man was waiting for them behind a desk, the light coming from the window casted a long shadow of his silhouette across the floor.

"You must be the mage from Fairy Tail. I'm Jude Heartfilia, thank you for coming so quickly." Natsu shook the man's offered hand and took in his appearance. He was tall with slick blonde hair and dark eyes wearing an expensive tailored suit –not that Natsu would have noticed the difference.

"Natsu Dragneel," Always one to cut right to the chase, he pointedly asked, "So your daughters been kidnapped or something?"

"I can't be sure. Being the heir of a large fortune draws a certain amount of attention, she may have become the target of people with dark intentions." There was a gleam in the man's eyes and Natsu thought his last sentence sounded rehearsed.

Ignoring this, he continued, "How long has she been missing?" Natsu had walked over to the desk and had picked up a small portrait, in it were three people, one was the man standing in front of him and then there were two blondes, the younger he could only assume was his daughter.

"Lucy's been gone five days. My own security detail was unable to find her and I trust their competence more than the local bailiff and his lackeys. The next logical step would be a magic guild." Jude stared hard at Natsu, as if daring him to question further. Natsu just shrugged while Jude went over more details listed on the job request and confirmed the reward amount.

Natsu was not well-known for his intelligence, but he at least could tell when someone wasn't being truthful –he chocked it up to his heightened 'dragon senses'. Jude Heartfilia was hiding something but the young man had no idea what. Why would anyone lie about their daughter being taken? It was not something he wanted to dwell on and it wasn't any of his business regardless. Natsu just wanted to find this 'Lucy' so he could go back to his normal missions consisting of punching monsters and blowing up buildings –two of his favorite things.

"Got anything of your daughter's that I could smell?"

Jude looked taken aback, it was not a question he expected, "Smell?"

Natsu nodded while Happy chose to elaborate for his friend, "Natsu has an excellent sense of smell sir! He might be able to track your daughter by her scent."

"I –I see. I'll call one of the maids to escort you to her room."

Following one of the servants to the other side of the mansion, Natsu had picked up snippets of hushed conversations.

"He's sending a magic user after her?"

"I hope he's gentle…poor Miss…"

"Two of the guards are still in the infirmary…"

"I heard she used a key on them this time…"

Groaning internally, Natsu was left wondering _why_ he hadn't let Gray take this job, it was becoming less simple by the minute. The maid led the two companions to what was no doubt a young girl's room. His vision had been assaulted by everything bright and pink; Happy didn't waste any time comparing the mage's hair color to every item in the room much to Natsu's discomfort. He quickly inspected the bedroom, looking for something he could take with him. Spotting the large four-poster bed, he leaned across and snatched up a pillow, taking a long whiff.

The smell that invaded his nose was pleasant and comforting. It was sweet and warm, like vanilla with a dash of honey. There was something else as well, it brought to mind images of camping underneath the starry sky on a clear summer night.

It should be easy to sniff out this particular scent. Jude had told the pair that his daughter had last been seen on the edge of the Konzern, the side near the forest. Natsu was extremely familiar with all woodsy related scents; he was confident that together with his flying companion and superior senses, they would find the missing girl in no time.

As they flew towards Lucy Heartfilia's last known location, Natsu couldn't help but hold on to the hope that they'd come across a good brawl before the mission was over.

~o~

Natsu groaned in frustration. He was standing at the edge of a small river, trying to decipher the messages his nose was sending to him. He'd followed the unique scent of the girl Lucy for miles through the forest, mixed with several others. Along with deer and rabbits he definitely smelled dog, the domestic kind, and several humans, most likely hunters or a party sent after the young girl. The search had been vigorous apparently, underbrush and small bushes had been trampled, dirt kicked up in places and oddly enough, he'd found something that looked similar to scorch marks on several trees.

He'd began to think it might just be too easy to follow the trail through the forest when he'd come upon the river. All the different scents had abruptly stopped right where the water met the sharp rocks. There was also an entirely unfamiliar scent caught up in the mix that had Natsu thoroughly confused. He was positive it wasn't human but it didn't smell like an animal either. It reminded him of a mission he'd taken several years ago, he'd been sent to retrieve the pieces of a fallen star, the archaeologist had called it a 'meteorite' and it shared the same unearthly scent he was picking up in the forest.

Happy had flown Natsu to the other side of the river and they began the search once more, this time the scent was more difficult to sniff out. Whoever had taken the girl (Natsu was starting to suspect the strange new scent) must have known that jumping in the river would hinder any search party relying on sense of smell. Two miles up he'd finally sniffed it out again, this time the coppery scent of blood had been added to the girl's along with the 'starry' one. Someone had been injured and the pace had slowed noticeably. Spots were cleared where they had rested and Natsu had found pieces of ripped clothing stuck in a tree.

Natsu spent the rest of the evening and well into the night trudging through the forest. Occasionally Happy would fly above the trees and see if he could spot anything but the forest continued on for miles, he wasn't sure if they were even on Heartfilia land anymore. Eventually they made camp when they'd followed the trail to a small cave. Natsu could still only pick up the scent of the girl and this 'other' presence and was beginning to get irritated. At first, he'd thought the girl had gotten herself lost, not kidnapped. She was steadily moving in one direction, away from the Konzern which wasn't something a lost person would do. Even he knew it was best to stay put and wait for rescue, and as unfamiliar as the other scent was, it didn't smell sinister and he hadn't picked up any other smells that might indicate a foul presence or a sign of struggle.

To put it simply, Natsu was nearing the end of his patience. He was getting bored, and a bored Natsu Dragneel was unpredictable and destructive. He'd had the thought more than once that he should just burn down the forest to flush out his prey. If he wasn't absolutely positive that a furious Master and worse –unforgiving Erza would be waiting for him at the guild he just might have done it.

It was well into mid-afternoon the following day when the scent steadily became stronger. He quickened his pace in excitement, palms twitching in the hopes of finding an enemy. He had the sudden vision of himself beating the snot out of some bad guy, freeing the prisoner and being hailed a hero back at the mansion –included in the reward a large feast of his own imagining. Cracking a wide grin at the possibilities, he hadn't been paying attention to where his feet landed and the great Salamander of Fairy Tail was sent crashing downhill into a ravine, cursing loudly and followed by a cackling blue cat.

When the world stopped spinning, Natsu's eye's focused on the scene in front of him. Across the ravine, staring wide-eyed was the source of the scent he'd been following for the better half of two days. A young blonde girl was leaning against a tree panting slightly and looking disheveled. Her shorts and tank top were dirty and there was a bandage wrapped around her ankle. She was carrying a large travel pack and had a belt wrapped around her waist, containing what looked to be a whip and chain of keys.

They were both frozen, staring at each other when Happy suddenly squealed, "Look Natsu, we found the princess!"

~o~

 _thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!_


End file.
